NFL Player News
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Samori Toure WR | NO
Saints' Samori Toure: Promoted Friday
Toure signed with the Saints' active roster Friday, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.
The 27-year-old's last in-game action came with the Packers in 2023, when he appeared in 11 contests and caught eight of 18 targets for 78 yards. Now in New Orleans, Toure is expected to operate as one of the Saints' top wideouts in the Week 18 matchup against the Falcons, playing alongside Kevin Austin, Dante Pettis and Ronnie Bell.
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Kevin Austin Jr. WR | NO
Saints' Kevin Austin: Stepping into key role Week 18
Austin is positioned as one of New Orleans' top starting wideouts for Sunday's season finale against the Falcons due to Chris Olave (illness) being ruled out for Week 18.
Austin has already played more than 80 percent of offensive snaps in back-to-back games, in which span he's secured six of eight targets for 70 yards and one score. He saw those expanded opportunities due to the absence of Mason Tipton (groin), who has since been placed on IR. With Olave now also out for the regular-season finale due a blood clot in his lung, Austin appears positioned as the No. 1 wideout for a receiving corps that also includes Dante Pettis and practice-squad players Ronnie Bell and Samori Toure. Austin will work to make the most of his elevated opportunity versus Atlanta and continue demonstrating chemistry with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough.
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Ronnie Bell WR | NO
Saints' Ronnie Bell: Joins active roster
Bell signed with the Saints' active roster Friday, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.
The third-year pro from Michigan will join the Saints' active roster for the second consecutive week after failing to record an offensive statistic across nine total snaps (seven on special teams, two on offense) in the Week 17 win over the Titans. Bell is expected to operate as one of New Orleans' top wideouts in Sunday's matchup against the Falcons, as Chris Olave (blood clots), Mason Tipton (groin), Trey Palmer (ankle), Devaughn Vele (shoulder), Bub Means (lower leg) and Ja'Lynn Polk (shoulder) will all be sidelined.
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Wan'Dale Robinson WR | NYG
Giants' Wan'Dale Robinson: Ruled out
Robinson (ribs) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Dallas, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.
Robinson is scheduled for free agency in March after posting the first 1,000-yard season of his career. There's no indication his injury is serious, and the Giants likely will make a run at re-signing Robinson before he can hit the open market this spring. For Week 18, New York's top receiving options will be WRs Darius Slayton and Isaiah Hodgins and TE Daniel Bellinger.
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Rome Odunze WR | CHI
Bears' Rome Odunze: Questionable after practicing
Odunze (foot) returned to practice Friday as a limited participant and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Lions, Chris Emma of 670TheScore.com reports.
The practice was Odunze's first since Dec. 12, which seemingly makes him a long shot to actually play this weekend. The Bears and Lions are scheduled for a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday.
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Xavier Worthy WR | KC
Chiefs' Xavier Worthy: Status TBD for Week 18
Coach Andy Reid said Friday that "we'll see" when asked about Worthy's chances to play Sunday at Las Vegas, Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com reports.
Per Nate Taylor of ESPN.com, Worthy wasn't able to practice in any capacity this week as he deals with an illness. The Chiefs placed Tyquan Thornton (concussion) on injured reserve last week and did the same with Rashee Rice (concussion) this week, leaving the team with three healthy wide receivers on the active roster at the moment (Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jalen Royals). Based on Reid's comments, Worthy seems destined to be listed as questionable ahead of the weekend.
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Mason Tipton WR | NO
Saints' Mason Tipton: Headed to IR
The Saints are placing Tipton (groin) on injured reserve ahead of Sunday's Week 18 matchup with Atlanta, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.
Tipton will miss a second straight game to end the season, losing an opportunity at a top-three role with the Saints' receiving corp in a depleted state. Chris Olave also will miss Week 18 due to a blood clot in his lung, leaving Kevin Austin and Dante Pettis as the Saints' top wide receivers. They'll need practice-squad call-ups to help out this Sunday and could also deploy TEs Taysom Hill or Moliki Matavao in larger-than-usual roles. Tipton, a 2024 UDFA, finishes his second NFL season with 11 catches for 76 yards. He caught 14 passes for 99 yards as a rookie, with a similar trajectory in terms of only getting snaps after other WRs were injured. Tipton likely will need to fight for his roster spot in 2026.
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Charlie Jones WR | CIN
Bengals' Charlie Jones: Out for Sunday
Jones (ankle) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Browns, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.
The third-year wideout from Purdue didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday and is now in line to miss his third consecutive game due to an ankle injury. Jones appeared in 14 contests for Cincinnati this season, recording 1,084 kick-return yards and 115 punt-return yards. While he's sidelined in Week 18, expect Ke'Shawn Williams to operate as the Bengals' top return man.
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Darnell Mooney WR | ATL
Falcons' Darnell Mooney: Questionable but likely to play
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said Friday that Mooney (knee) is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's season finale against the Saints but is expected to suit up, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
Mooney popped up as a limited participant on Thursday's practice report, but it looks like he's trending in the right direction to face New Orleans on Sunday. Morris said top wideout Drake London (knee) and tight end Kyle Pitts (knee) are both also listed as questionable but expected to play Week 18. Mooney has only exceeded 50 receiving yards or scored once across his last 10 regular-season appearances, having managed both feats when he secured all three of his targets for 74 yards and a score versus the Saints in Week 12. If he's cleared to play Sunday, he'll work to improve his lackluster production totals in a rematch against a division rival.
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Chris Olave WR | NO
Saints' Chris Olave: Ruled out
Olave (illness) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Atlanta.
Olave came ever so close to playing 17 regular-season games for the first time in his career, missing out after a blood clot was discovered in his lung earlier this week. The issue reportedly was detected early, with the expectation that he'll be fine after treatment. Olave finishes 2025 with career highs in numerous categories, including targets (156), catches (100), receiving yards (1,163) and touchdowns (nine). He'll likely be a second/third-round fantasy pick in 2026, following a strong finish to 2025 for both Olave and QB Tyler Shough.